Bonus Bucks
84badeec4435ed8defe37b8cbc691146.jpg eb4207c3292db27aba14c1cedeca5980--i-love-lucy-episodes-lucy-lucy.jpg bonus-bucks.png s-l300.jpg Previous episode: Home Movies Next episode: Ricky's Hawaiian Vacation http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/BillChecking.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/RippedDollar.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/StarchedLucy.jpg Plot Ricky secretly hides a winning Bonus Buck worth $300 in Lucy's purse, but she gives all the money in her purse to the grocery boy! Ethel gets the winning dollar in the form of change from the grocery boy, and Lucy and Ethel fight over it, to the point of ripping it. After the Ricardos' half of the dollar gets sent to the laundromat, the gang has to rush to get it back before the 3 pm contest deadline. Lucy and Ricky end up retrieving the bill, but at a great cost- they damaged so much from rushing that the group only ends up with one dollar left! Oh, the irony! Trivia *The winning Bonus Buck serial number was B-78455629-G. *Here's a breakdown of the costs the $300 from the Bonus Buck went to: $29 for the taxi cab, $25 extra for the cab driver to go really fast, $10 for overalls to wear to the laundromat, $50 for a speeding ticket, and $185 for repairs of damages sustained at the laundromat. That left $1 - just what they started with! *The woman actress at the laundromat and Desi had to keep shouting "starch vat" over and over again in the one scene, because the audience was laughing so hard that it was hard to hear the actors' lines. And if the audience didn't understand the significance of where Lucy ended up, her overly starched costume at the end wouldn't make sense. *It was silly for Ricky to put the Bonus Buck in Lucy's purse. He should have realized that she wouldn't check the bills in the purse, as she would have thought that she had ALREADY checked them before. While it's understandable that Ricky would want Lucy to have the excitement of finding the winning Bonus Buck herself, what he should have done was pretend like he had some extra dollars in change, give the supposedly unchecked dollar bills to Lucy, and have Lucy find the winning bill THAT way. *Newspaper contests like this involving winning dollar bills were commonly called Lucky Bucks contests. The writers changed the name to BONUS Bucks for the episode, because Phillip Morris forbid the use of the word "lucky" on the show. Phillip Morris was afraid hearing "lucky" would be a subliminal message to viewers to go out and buy Lucky Strikes, a competitor's cigarette brand. *The crowbar at the laundry fell off the wall, so the actress playing the laundromat workeer had to search on the ground to be able to use it. *Lucy has a bunch of junk in her purse, including a random paper clip chain. *Why is Lucy sending the laundry out when Ricky bought her a brand new washing machine a few episodes back? *In the final scene, after Lucy enters the Bonus Bucks office, when the camera shows Fred and Ethel's shocked reactions at her appearance, the dollar bill can be seen in Lucy's left hand. However, in the next shot, Lucy's hand is empty, and Fred then gives her the dollar bill. Quotes *Ricky: What makes you think you're gonna win Bonus Buck contest? Lucy: I can't miss. All my life, I've been eating oysters and never found a pearl. Five years in a row, I didn't win the Irish Sweepstakes. And only yesterday, at the grocery, I missed guessing the number of beans in the jar by TWO. This time, it's my turn! Ricky: Well, I didn't know all that. I mean, you're a cinch! Ethel: And if isn't her turn, it certainly is mine! *Lucy: Couldn't you have made that "1" the dollar a "7"? Ethel: Give me a pen, and I will! Lucy: Do we dare? Oh, no, the paper would frown on that. Ricky: The Treasury Department would make a face, too! *Lucy: Oh, wait- we didn't go through the boys' money. Fred: Ethel went through mind years ago. Ricky: Look, no use going through mine. I found a pearl in an oyster once. Fred: Not my turn to win, either. I found a diamond ring in a box of Cracker Jack. Lucy: Oh, now, stop! You stop joking! Ethel: He's not joking. (Ethel holds up her hand to show wedding ring) Ethel: Where do you think he got THIS? *Ricky: Don't even tell Ethel. Fred: I won't breathe a word to Miss Walkie-Talkie. *Lucy: (takes Bonus Buck from Ethel) Now, you heard what Fred said- possession is nine-tenths of the law. And I'm possessed! *Ricky: (referring to prize money) Let's split it. Lucy: (referring to ripped Bonus Buck) We just did. *Lucy: Look- you picked a fine one to tell you in plain English. Look, there's a little slip of paper worth $300. It's in the pocket of my husband's pajamas, and I sent it to the laundry. Laundry supervisor: Can't you even READ plain English? (supervisor points to sign that says "Laundry- employees only.") *Fred: Cancel our subscription. Ethel: We don't take this paper. Fred: Well, order a subscription, and THEN cancel it!﻿﻿